Saudi Air Defences Intercept Two Drones Over Eastern and Southern Regions

Saudi Arabia's air defences intercepted and destroyed two drones targeting the kingdom's Eastern and Southern regions, the Saudi-led coalition said.

Gulf News reported the coalition's account in its live coverage of the Middle East war. It said Reuters reported that the coalition announced the interception of one drone over the Eastern Region, followed by another, launched by Yemen's Houthis, towards the Southern Region.

According to Gulf News, the two incidents follow an earlier drone interception in the Riyadh region. Gulf News said the spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition reported that interception on Saturday. Gulf News added that no immediate reports of casualties or damage were provided.

In the same coverage, Gulf News reported that Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned the United States against launching fresh attacks, as speculation grows that the Middle East war will resume. A statement attributed to Khamenei and posted on his Telegram channel said: "If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them."

Gulf News also reported that fresh diplomatic efforts are under way to avert a resumption of fighting, with Qatari mediators in Tehran and US Vice President JD Vance reportedly sending a letter to Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview, according to the state news agency IRNA, "Currently, there are no plans for meetings with American officials, and any speculation to the contrary is merely media assumption."

Gulf News further reported, citing the Associated Press and Reuters, that Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed four oil tankers struck naval mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. Iranian authorities said the tankers had used unauthorised routes, according to Gulf News. It said the claims have not been independently verified and that details about the vessels, their crews and the extent of the damage remain unclear.

Background

Qatar Standard reported in September that Houthi forces had seized control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and that coordinated drone attacks originating from Iraq had struck Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline. That earlier report said the strikes forced the kingdom to suspend operations on the pipeline, which it described as a primary export bypass designed to circumvent potential closures of the Strait of Hormuz.